Rurality has been working with Earthworm Foundation members Cargill, Nestlé and its palm oil supplier Biopalma in the Northeast region of Pará since January 2018.

Some 675 smallholders who supply Biopalma's mills are distributed across the municipalities of Bujaru, Tailândia, São Domingos do Capim, Moju, Acará, Tomé-Açu and Concordia. At this stage Rurality has interviewed several farmers from across the three source regions, identified areas of transformation and has developed an action plan to turn this into reality.

Interviewing farmers
Rurality has interviewed farmers in Biopalma’s supply chain to understand their situation, farming systems, management practices and the social and environmental changes they face to identify opportunities for transformation.

Mapping plantations
Rurality is using GPS data to map out all smallholders’ plantations in Biopalma’s supply chain to help plan and develop better logistics routes for their Fresh Fruit Bunches and other products.

Market analysis
Rurality is conducting a market analysis to identify livelihoods for farmers. Local and regional markets, as well as government agencies, were visited to identify potential opportunities. Fruit, black pepper and manioc flour have so far been identified as key products cultivated by palm oil farmers.

Stakeholder engagement
Rurality has identified and engaged with stakeholders who will play an important role in the transformation process. Stakeholders engaged so far include black pepper traders and exporters, local and state government bodies, private companies, NGOs, rural unions and the Rural Technical Agency.

Development of an action plan
Alongside key stakeholders, Rurality developed an action plan for assisting smallholders in Northeast Pará. This includes action to be taken to improve yields, alternative livelihoods and connections with other stakeholders.